The Peloponnese peninsula is home to more wineries and grape varieties than any other region in Greece, but for wine buffs the Dexamenes Seaside Hotel, which opens in May, offers an extraordinary experience of sleeping off a good night out in old wine tanks dating back to the 1920s.
Carved from an abandoned winery set directly on Kourouta beach, the hotel is a slice of Greek trading history wrapped up in a stunning industrial setting.
Ensuring that the location is at the forefront of the hotel concept, many of the 34 guest rooms boast a private canopied patio overlooking the Ionian Sea, top of page, while a bar-lounge, a taverna, a history room, and a boutique “Bakaliko” store selling local produce celebrate the region’s culture.
Concrete blocks that once held the wine tanks have been minimally restored using steel, engineered glass and timber
The hotel, formerly the ancestral property of visionary entrepreneur-turned-hotelier Nikos Karaflos, is characterised by the two parallel rows of concrete blocks that once held the wine tanks, which have been minimally restored with the use of steel, engineered glass, and timber.
A former alumnus of award-winning architects K-Studio, it is not surprising that Karaflos looked to his former colleagues to assist in reimagining and reshaping the modernist landscape of the property.
The tanks were ideally suited to house the guest rooms, each with floor-to-ceiling windows and a meticulously planned layout with open wardrobe, a double bed with COCO-MAT natural mattress, a single sofa and bathroom with a spacious shower.
The austere structures feature black steel frameworks that meander from inside each guest room to canopied patios, and eventually all the way to the lounge, bar, and reception.
Alongside the bar-lounge and taverna, the hotel’s open kitchen lab plays host to a wide range of local gastronomy courses and tastings, while those of a more spiritual nature will appreciate the open-plan studio, designed for yoga sessions as well as workshops hosted by local creatives and artists.
Dexamenes Seaside Hotel is an ideal springboard for regional exploration. The town of Amaliada is just northeast, while the wider Peloponnese peninsula offers a plethora of archaeological sites, wineries, and historical cities.
www.designhotels.com/dexamenes-seaside-hotel
